Two accidental, and deadly shootings in Southern Colorado Saturday are leading gun clubs to remind people to take safety seriously when working with firearms.

Tony Brunetto is the chief trainer at Whistling Pines Gun Club. He gives courses from as basic as how to load and clean a weapon all the way to self defense from home invasions.

He said hearing of tragic accidental shootings, especially those involving children are upsetting, and he wishes people focused more on safety before buying.

“There’s no reset on a gun. When you pull the trigger a bullet’s coming out of the barrel and something potentially dangerous could happen so it’s important to be trained properly,” Brunetto said.

He said there are important safety precautions to remember, especially when a child is in the home.

“Guns are not toys. There are toy guns. but real guns need real parental supervision and real training. You can’t just turn someone loose and say here junior, have at it,” he said.

Brunetto has 3 main safety concerns for people to keep in mind.

First, store your gun properly. If you want to keep your weapon loaded, keep it locked in a safe and out of reach of children.

Secondly, have enough training and read your gun’s manual.

“Guns need a responsible owner and in order to be responsible you have to be trained properly,” Brunetto said.

His final tip? Follow the basic safety rules and natural instinct.

“Never put your finger on the trigger until you’re ready to fire and the gun is pointed at the appropriate target, and always assume every gun is loaded all the time!,” he exclaimed.

While it’s the most common reasoning we hear for accidental shootings, Brunetto said there’s no reason for an incident while cleaning a gun. If you read the manual, that is.

He said there’s a joke in his business: RTFB, which stands for “Read The Flippin’ Book.”

“In all of those books the very first thing it says prior to any cleaning is ensure the gun is unloaded,” he said.

But it’s worth repeating.

“I don’t know how else you can possibly say it… just ensure the gun is unloaded before doing any maintenance at all!,” he said.

As hunting season gets into full swing, the Department of Wildlife gives courses as well. Brunetto said when you’re out hunting to always remember to identify your target before pulling the trigger, just in case.